Girls Basketball Notebook: DeAngelo has a thousand reasons to celebrate

By MATT SMITH

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Gia DeAngelo remembers watching in the stands of Chichester's gymnasium as Sami Borcky scored her 1,000th career point for Sun Valley High School. It was the winter of 2008 and DeAngelo was in the seventh grade. Never did she think that one day she would be in the same position as Borcky.

Borcky was the last female Vanguard to reach the milestone. That is, until DeAngelo accomplished the feat Tuesday night against Great Valley.

"I remember being there at Chichester as she scored her 1,000th point. I was in awe. It was so amazing," DeAngelo said Monday afternoon.

"When I started freshman year, it never occurred to me that I would have a chance. Not many freshmen start freshman varsity basketball, but I had that chance," she said. "Earlier this year, people asked me how close I was. I kept telling them, 'I don't know, I don't think I'm going to get it.' But my dad was telling me I was averaging 20 points and that I might be getting it soon. Now, here I am."

DeAngelo needed only four points Tuesday night. She had family in attendance, including her grandparents, who came down from the Poconos to see their granddaughter on her big night.

"It's important to me, but it hasn't been too big of a distraction," DeAngelo said.

While she has played basketball for as long as she can remember, make no mistake, volleyball is DeAngelo's best sport. It's the sport that made her an All-Delco athlete, and a sport that has opened the door for many possibilities beyond high school. If she's going to play one sport at the next level, it's volleyball.

Her coach, Frank Ridpath, said he has never coached such a dynamic player in his 13 seasons at Sun Valley, DeAngelo can do it all -- post up, shoot from long distance, run the point, push the ball up court and drive in the paint, and play phenomenal defense.

"I've only played AAU twice, but I was playing basketball since I was 5. It's not something I do year-round," she said. "It's more of a family sport. My parents played, my brothers play. Volleyball is what I love. It's weird to see that goal (scoring 1,000 points) be accomplished in a sport that I don't play all the time."

After 16 games, DeAngelo was leading the county with 22.3 points per game. Not bad for someone who considers basketball her "other sport."

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Next week we'll preview the District One playoff scenario and predict which teams will make it in and which are on the bubble.

For now, though, it's time to highlight some of the most underrated players in the county. Maybe they don't get the credit they deserve because they play for a losing team, or perhaps they don't score enough points to be mentioned in the daily write-ups. Here's an (underrated) fab five:

Leilani Beckham, Upper Darby: She doesn't score nearly enough as she could. An unselfish player whose knack is ballhandling and defense, Beckham has been a steady varsity player for three years. Without her, it's hard to imagine the Royals would be sitting in first place in the Central League.

Rylee Power, Marple Newtown: The sophomore shooting guard gets lost in the shuffle because she plays for a team that is much better than its 3-15 record would indicate. Power has the tools to develop into one of the best scorers in the county over the next two seasons. She is averaging 16.6 points and hits 3-pointers with ease.

Jordan Matthews, Academy Park: Like Power, Matthews stars on a team that has struggled for wins in 2012-13. But make no mistake, she has been the Knights' MVP. Academy Park has shown solid improvement over the last couple weeks. Matthews is averaging 18.2 points and, coming into the week, had led the Knights to back-to-back wins, including an upset of Chichester.

Jess Carney, Archbishop Carroll: The sister of 2011 All-Delco Jen Carney (Mount St. Mary), Jess is a lethal weapon off the bench for the Patriots. Of her 38 field goals, 36 have been 3-pointers, which puts her among the top-5 in Delco in that category. Not bad for a player who doesn't start. She is earning more playing time and should be starting for the Patriots by the beginning of next season.

Lindsay Price, Radnor: The senior forward poured in a career-high 20 points in Monday night's win over Marple Newtown. She's helped the Red Raiders to six consecutive victories. Price is averaging 10.4 points, second on the team to Myonie Williamson (12.6).

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Episcopal Academy's Megan Quinn is approaching rarefied company.

It's possible the 2011-12 Daily Times Player of the Year will score 1,500 points for her career by the end of the season. Quinn, a 6-2 forward, entered the week with 1,437 points, which ranks 18th all-time among female Delaware County players. She could surpass Jamie Blumenthal, who scored 1,504 points at Chichester in the 1990s and is 13th on the list. The last player to reach the 1,500-point plateau was Emily Homan of Delco Christian, the 2010-11 Player of the Year who holds the Knights' school record for career points (1,581).

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Upper Darby suffered its first loss in the Central League Monday night, which means the Royals will not receive a bye to the league championship game.

The top four teams qualify for the postseason tournament. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Royals were in first place with one loss, followed by Radnor, Garnet Valley and Conestoga, all of whom have three losses.